Workers at New Flyer's Anniston facility ratified their first union contract with 99% of union members voting in favor recently.
The workers were represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA). Workers at the plant formed the union on January 31.
According to CWA, workers under the new contract will get pay raises ranging from 15% to 38% by 2026, restrictions on forced overtime, expanded vacation and paid time off, improved parental leave, the addition of Juneteenth as a holiday, guaranteed cost-of-living adjustments, and enhanced retirement benefits.
“This contract is going to give my family the financial freedom that we have longed for in order to rest easy for once. I now have the option to roll over my vacation to be able to spend more quality time with my children and witness the pivotal moments in their young lives. To me, this contract will change everyone’s lives for the better,” Ryan Masters, a worker at New Flyer, said in a statement on Thursday.
New Flyer is a Canadian multinational bus manufacturer specializing in the production of transit buses. New Flyer is owned by the NFI Group, a holding company for several bus manufacturers. New Flyer has several manufacturing facilities in Canada and the United States including its plant in Anniston.
Carl Kennebrew, president of the International Union of Electrical Workers-Communications Workers of America, said, “New Flyer's management has absolutely lived up to the commitments they made in their agreements.”
“Workers in Jamestown, Shepherdsville, and Anniston have been able to make their own decision, without any management interference, about whether or not to join the union. We have negotiated a new apprenticeship program and strong collective bargaining agreements so these are good, family-supporting jobs,” he added said in a statement.
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